FITUR, the annual International Tourism Fair held at Madrid’s IFEMA trade exhibition premises, takes place this year from 18 to 22 January. The pavilion designed by Equipo 01 / Jesús San Vicente for Paradores Nacionales is getting the FITUR Best Stand Award.

The design draws from the uniqueness of Spain’s network of heritage buildings turned into state-run hotels, expanding the idea of a nexus between history and the future to embrace the motto ‘Between earth and sky’ through an architectural language and reusable or recyclable materials.

The earth, history, is represented as archaeological remains rendered with dry-laid compressed earth blocks (BTC). For the floor, tiles of baked clay are placed on a bed of sand.

The sky, the future, is symbolized by a ‘cloud,’ a loop formed by a tube of aluminum tube, with a black cloth to hold up the sign and the lighting.